Dr Asemfoforo
A staunch NDC serial caller, Osei Yaw Nketiah aka Dr Asemfoforo says President John Mahama should render unqualified apology to the striking medical doctors for making them look unpatriotic.
According to the NDC man, the President’s recent comment that his government will not spend a penny outside the budget to meet the doctors’ demand showed clearly that he did not care about the hardships Ghanaians are going through.
“The President’s comment is retrogressive. It feeds into the perception that he and his government do not care about the health of Ghanaians anymore. In my candid opinion, the President should apologize to our hardworking doctors without delay,” he told DAILY GUIDE yesterday.
There has been no love lost between the Mahama NDC government and doctors over the conditions of service including end of service benefit of the latter.
As a result, the health sector is witnessing what looks like unprecedented chaos because the government and the GMA cannot find a compromised position on the impasse and the strike has continued unabated.
President John Mahama in the ensuing confusion served notice that he would not authorize any expenditure outside the approved budget while Employment and Labour Relations Minister Haruna Iddrisu has said the government was already overstretched to be able to accede to the ‘outrageous’ demands of the striking doctors.
NDC Propaganda
Some NDC communication members with support from the presidency released a document which they claimed contained what is termed as ‘outrageous demands from the GMA, but the doctors rebutted and said the contents in the document were not what they presented on their improved conditions of service.
The NDC propagandists have cynically urged the government to sack the doctors and bring in medical professionals from Cuba but the doctors called their bluff and said they were even prepared to resign en-bloc if their demands were not met.
Dr Asemfoforo said in the poor state of the country’s healthcare, it did not have to take the President to make the doctors look unpatriotic and seek to set Ghanaians against them.
He cautioned those supporting the President particularly most NDC members to rethink because the President’s action will eventually affect the party’s fortunes when there is an election.
“If the President says he won’t pay the doctors and they in turn refuse to work, the poor Ghanaian will eventually suffer. As I speak, there have been many deaths recorded and if it continues who will vote for them to remain in office?” he said.
“The doctors’ demands may be over-the-top but the way we go to the negotiation table and not dabble in propaganda as being done might help to bring them back to work,” he added.
He said “the Cuban doctors that the NDC wants to bring to replace our doctors; are they not going to be paid? Can’t we give the same money to our doctors?”
“Look at the amount of money they spent in Talensi just to win back the seat during the recent by-election? They are saying there’s no money for the striking doctors but they found so much for Talensi. Was it also in the budget?”
Dr. Asemfoforo said that all those NDC people supporting the President’s comment have already amassed wealth and would not care if the ruling party goes into opposition, adding “things are very tough in this country and instead of working hard to make life better for the people you continue to look down on us.”
By William Yaw Owusu